Ladies, Fight Away the Beer Belly!

Ladies, if you've built a beer belly, fret not. Opt for some easy exercises, including traditional Surya Namaskar, count your calories and feel the difference, say experts. And if you can't do all that, then just dress well according to your figure. Drinking too much of beer on a regular basis and no exercise leads to beer bellies.

Mostly cutting down on the drink alone does the trick and helps in getting back into shape, but, for early results, try putting in extra efforts, suggests Sandhya Pandey, chief dietician at capital-based Columbia Asia Hospital. "Women can cope with their belly problems by reducing calorie intake. It is the total number of calories consumed in any form that decides deposition of fat in the body. Exercise can also help to maintain good energy levels and weight, achieved with proper diet," Pandey told IANS. A popular exercise that helps in getting rid of beer belly woes is Pilates. No matter what a person's fitness level may be, he or she can participate in the body conditioning routine. Also, try the traditional Surya Namaskar at least 25 to 50 times in the morning; stomach sucking exercises and training abdominal muscles two to three times a weeks will definitely bring a change. Very few would know that a bottled beer contains more calories as it is topped with more enzymes and preservatives than a freshly brewed draft or craft beer, readily available in the several microbreweries that have cropped up everywhere. So, apart from exercises, it is important to follow a diet chart, says Althea Shah, fitness expert, Gold's Gym India. "We can lose beer belly with good nutrition and exercises. One should be on strict diet and follow simple tips such as first meal in morning should be of cereals, papaya, melon and kiwi with skimmed milk," Shah told IANS. Eat small portions of food every three hours and 80 percent of your appetite, she said. "Have dinner at least three hours before sleeping at night and stop all fizzy drinks and drinks with artificial sugars. Also, with every meal, try to eat small portion of salad as it contains roughage that helps in digestion." If following right diet and exercising is tough for you, camouflage beer bellies with the right wardrobe. According to designer Swapnil Shinde, pot-bellied girls should avoid lycra and satin fabric. "The idea is to wear fabrics and silhouettes that don't cling to your body. Anything in lycra will cling to all the wrong bulges, and fabrics like satins are also a no-no. The best fabric options would be georgette, cotton, linen and chiffon," Shinde told IANS. He also suggests women could hide the bulges with the right structure of their outfits. "It has to be A-line, fit to flare or a basic sheath (dress). Bias cut dresses work best to camouflage belly and hip issues and one must avoid anything that ends at the waist or belly - whether it is a shirt, tunic or a top," he added. A beer belly can also be hidden by drape dresses like loose cowls. Designer Aniket Satam suggests, "Try wider necklines and yoke styles which take the attention away from the belly, and try drape neck-pieces like beaded long necklaces. Knitted scarfs work best." The fashion tricks apart, it is important to know that the beverage contains a lot of calories in a single bottle. Be a wise beer guzzler!